Wahroonga, New South Wales
| area = 8.2 | stategov = Ku-ring-gai | fedgov = Bradfield | near-nw = Hornsby Waitara | near-n = North Wahroonga | near-ne = North Turramurra | near-w = Normanhurst Thornleigh | near-e = Turramurra | near-sw = Pennant Hills | near-s = Warrawee | near-se = South Turramurra | dist1 = 22 | dir1 = north-west | location1= Sydney CBD }} Wahroonga is a suburb on the Upper North Shore of Sydney, in the state of New South Wales, Australia 22 kilometres north-west of the Sydney central business district, in the local government area of Ku-ring-gai Council and Hornsby Shire. History Wahroonga is an Aboriginal word meaning our home. In the early days of British settlement in New South Wales, the main activity was cutting down the tall trees which grew there. Wahroonga was first settled in 1822 by Thomas Hyndes, a convict who became a wealthy landowner. Later there were many orchards. After the North Shore railway line was opened in 1890 it became a popular place for wealthy businessmen to build out-of-town residences with large gardens. Wahroonga Post Office opened on 15 October 1896. Much of this development occurred in the 1920s and 1930s.Book of Sydney Suburbs, Frances Pollon (Angus and Robertson) 1990, page 260 Commercial area Wahroonga has several small shopping villages, such as Wahroonga shopping village with several small restaurants and Hampden Avenue shopping centre in East Wahroonga. The Sydney Adventist Hospital is in Wahroonga, as is Globalstar's Australian office, and the offices of the South Pacific Division of Seventh-day Adventists. Transport Wahroonga railway station is on the North Shore, Northern & Western Line of the Sydney Trains network. Wahroonga is the Sydney end of the F3 Freeway to Newcastle. Streets Wahroonga is known for its tree-lined, shady streets. Notable streets include Burns Road, Water Street and Billyard Avenue. Houses The Rose Seidler House, in Clissold Road, built by Harry Seidler between 1948 and 1950, was one of the first examples of modern residential architecture in Australia. Highlands, in Highlands Avenue, is a timber house designed by John Horbury Hunt and built in 1891 for Alfred Hordern. Hunt was a Canadian architect who used the Arts and Crafts style and the Shingle Style popular in North America. Highlands is now on the Register of the National Estate.The Heritage of Australia, Macmillan Company, 1981, p.2/26 Architect William Hardy Wilson designed and built his own home, Purulia, on Fox Valley Road. Built in 1913, the home is in the Colonial Revival style and became, according to some observers, a prototype for North Shore homes. It is listed on the Register of the National Estate.The Heritage of Australia, p.2/33 Berith Park, in Billyard Avenue, was designed by F. Ernest Stowe for Alfred Smith, who bought the land in 1897. The house was finished circa 1909.Wahroonga:Retrieved 6 May 2008 Westholme, in Water Street, was designed by Howard Joseland in the Arts and Crafts style for John Bennett, one of the pioneer developers of Wahroonga. Bennett came from England but migrated to Australia with his wife and acquired property at Wahroonga in 1893. Westholme was built in 1894. Another house was added at the other end of the block, but this was demolished in 1991 after changing hands several times.Wahroonga:Retrieved 6 May 2008 Craignairn, in Burns Road, was also designed in the Arts and Crafts style by Howard Joseland. The client was Walter Strang. Joseland built his own home Malvern, in Burns Road. An example of the Federation Bungalow style, it has been described as "unpretentious and solidly comfortable."A Pictorial Guide to Identifying Australian Architecture, Apperly (Angus and Robertson) 1994, p.147 The Briars, in Woonona Avenue, is built on land that was granted to John Hughes in 1842, and later divided into four estates. Jessie Edith Balcombe built The Briars on one of these estates in 1895. It is heritage-listed.State Heritage Register File:RoseSeidlerHouseSulmanPrize.jpg|''Rose Seidler House'', Clissold Road Image:(1)The Briars in Wahroonga-1.jpg|The Briars Churches Wahroonga contains a number of churches including Holy Name Catholic Church, St John's Uniting Church, St Andrew's Anglican Church, Wahroonga Presbyterian Church and the Wahroonga Seventh Day Adventist Church. Parks Wahroonga Park is located north of the railway station, and features a significant number of well established introduced trees, and a children's playground. The Glade, located near Abbotsleigh, has two tennis courts, a half basketball court and a large circular oval where Football and Cricket can be played. There is also small rainforest and fern forest, next to the tennis courts. Ku-ring-gai Chase National Park is located north of Wahroonga. It is the second oldest national park in Australia and is very popular, offering many walking tracks, picnic spots and Aboriginal sites with rock carvings. The park has a large proportion of the known Aboriginal sites in the Sydney area. Schools * Knox Grammar School * Abbotsleigh School for GirlsAbbotsleigh Website * St Leo's Catholic College * Wahroonga Adventist SchoolAdventist School Website * Wahroonga Public School, founded in 1944 and commonly known as "The Bush School"Wahroonga Public School Website * Prouille Catholic Primary School * Wahroonga Preparatory School, East Wahroonga. * St Edmund's School for students with vision impairment and other special needsSt Edmund's Website * St Lucy's School for children with disabilities (part of the mission of Dominican Sisters of Eastern Australia)St Lucy's Website File:(1)Knox Grammar Preparatory School Wahroonga.jpg|Knox Grammar Preparatory School File:(1)Barry O'Farrell office.jpg|Electorate office of Barry O'Farrell the Member for Ku-ring-gai who is also the Premier of New South Wales Image:(1)St_Lucys_School_Wahroonga.jpg|St Lucy's School Image:Prouille_School_Wahroonga.jpg|Prouille School Image:St_Edmunds_School_Wahroonga.jpg|St Edmund's School Image:(1)St_Leos_Catholic_College_Wahroonga.jpg|St Leo's Catholic College Population Demographics According to the 2011 Census, the most common languages spoken at home in Wahroonga were English (77.9%), Cantonese (3.2%), Mandarin (3.1%), Korean (1.6%) and Hindi (0.9%). Notable residents * Halse Rogers Arnott, medical practitioner, company director and chairman of Arnott's lived in Burns RoadSpringwood Historians Retrieved 31 July 2012 * David Campese, former Wallaby * Richard Clapton, musician * Nicholas Fitzgerald, football (soccer) player for the Brisbane Roar * Martin Flood, Australian quiz champion * Adam Garcia, actor * Peter Garrett, frontman of 1980s band Midnight Oil and Member of the Australian House of Representatives for Kingsford Smith from 2004 to 2013 was born and raised here. * Mel Gibson, actor, was educated by members of the Congregation of Christian Brothers at St Leo's Catholic College during his high school years * Hugh Jackman, actor * Ollie McGill, keyboardist and backing vocalist for The Cat Empire * William Hardy Wilson, architect, artist and author * Harry Wolstenholme, lawyer and amateur ornithologist lived in Wahroonga References External links * Information on Wahroonga at Ku-ring-gai council's website * Rose Seidler House * Heritage Homes of Wahroonga *Rover Crews - for young people aged 18–25 - at nearby Turramurra & Kissing Point Category:Suburbs of Sydney